UB restructuring reaches parley
Larona Makhaiza | Monday February 23, 2026 06:53
In Parliament this week, Member of Parliament (MP) for Maun West Caterpillar Hikuama sought clarity from the Ministry of Higher Education on the dragging restructuring process at the country’s largest institution of learning.
Hikuama wanted the Minister to update Parliament on the restructuring process at UB and further state whether the university’s act and statutes were revised.
He also asked if the University is satisfied with the entire restructuring process.
In response, Minister of Higher Education, Prince Maele told Parliament that restructuring at UB is an ongoing process that intends to position the institution as one of the best on the continent.
“UB is undergoing a major transformation following the adoption of its 2020-2029 strategy, which aims to reposition the institution as a High Performance Organisation (HPO),” the Minister said.
He explained that the restructuring process followed all the right channels as UB engaged a consultancy firm named FloCash to assess its organisational structure and performance management systems.
“The review revealed significant misalignment with the new strategic direction, and as a result, a comprehensive restructuring process was initiated in March 2020 focused on creating an organisational design that supports research, increases efficiencies, and channels more resources toward academic functions,” Maele said.
However, the process has been marked by delays, an issue that has frustrated staff and unions as they argue that their livelihoods are on hold, and the issue now persists with the 13th Parliament.
“In view of the delayed restructuring process, I then requested the UB management and recognised unions (NALCGPWU, UBASSU, and UBSAWU) to convene and produce a formal Memorandum of Agreement to govern the remaining phases of the restructuring,” he said.
The Minister also revealed that it was completed on November 28, 2025, and provides for the structured implementation of the new organisational framework, effective December 1, last year.
He told Parliament that the MoA clearly ironed out all issues that the staff might have with the process.
“The agreement establishes clear guiding principles, including compliance with labour laws, fairness and transparency, protection of employee rights (including right to appeal), alignment with operational requirements and minimisation of disruption to academic and administrative service delivery,” Maele said.
On legislative reforms of the university, the Minister said the UB Act remains under review by the Council. “This process, particularly for the Act, is ongoing and once complete, the amendments will be published in the Government Gazette in the ordinary course,” he said.
He added that the latest amendments to the university statutes were published to the university community on January 30 this year and were confirmed by the council.
The minister acknowledged that he is aware that the entire restructuring process has disgruntled the UB community, as it has been years now.
“I am aware of the frustrations and disgruntlements at the university. Although the process has been slow, I intervened and, following my last meeting with management and unions, I am currently satisfied with the progress thus far and remain hopeful that the entire remaining process shall be completed amicably by the target date of March 2026,” Maele closed.
Late last year University of Botswana Academic and Support Staff Union (UBASSU) and the University of Botswana Staff Union (UBSU) expressed deep dissatisfaction over what they termed a ‘’prolonged and poorly managed’’ restructuring exercise that has dragged on for five years without tangible results.
They told the media in a joint press conference that their problem is the prolonged restructuring of the UB.
'When this started in 2020, we noted that this home has been replaced by agony, yet the management has done nothing. Management has been shifting timelines at least four times this year. The appointment of deans has to be guided by statutes, yet we see little compliance,’’ UBASSU President Emmanuel Mogende said at the time.
He lamented that the institution’s management had failed to adhere to timelines, noting that restructuring deadlines had been shifted several times within 2025.
For his part, UBSU president Moagisi Mogalakwe echoed similar sentiments, accusing management of undermining governance structures and perpetuating unfairness through the restrictive exercise.
“This entire process of restructuring continues to show unfairness. It shows a huge way of undermining governance issues,’’ Mogalakwe said. He noted that the delays in finalising the restructuring process had caused more harm than good, leaving staff de-motivated and uncertain about their future.